Posted in: Comics | Tagged: 3d, Comics, dc, harley quinn, joker's daughter, september, ventriloquist, villains month

DC Villains Month Standard Covers Will Be Returnable – But They Must Start Being Ordered Today

DC Comics has confirmed that any amount of DC Villains Month standard covers ordered, with a $2.99 cover price, will be returnable. But the Final Order Cut Off date for the first week's worth or issues is today.

Considered by some a "clusterfuck", though I prefer the term Thick Of It's "omnishambles", the DC Villains Month cover gimmick of 52 lenticular 3D covers demanded that print runs be set before the usual DC order dates (which were not amended), and DC appears to have underestimated demand significantly in same cases. Especially considering DC linked the 52 Villain one-shots to popular titles such as Detective Comics or Justice League to increase their popularity – and then seem to have allocated numbers based on titles such as Dial H or Katana.

However, given the $3.99 cover price, many stores will make a larger profit in September than they did with DC titles in August, say. Especially if demand pushes those prices up from the get go. And also if they do big numbers with the Standard cover editions being rush-solicited to come out alongside the allocated $3.99 3D versions. I think we can call September for DC Comics right now.

But how many Standard cover versions to order? Given the speed at which orders are needed, many retailers will not be able to contact enough customers in time to find out whether they would accept a non-3D cover version for their order – or even if they'd prefer one and save the dollar.

So DC Comics is making the Standard cover completely returnable. Retailers can now order in confidence that that won't with hundred of copies of a comic no one wants. And while retailers can also reduce the numbers of 3D covers… it looks like that's not going to be a problem for many.

They won't make as much money as they would have done if DC had supplied every retailer with every 3D cover they'd ordered, or even if they'd brought the Final Order Cut Off date back. But they're still going to be quids in. And maybe they'll be able to sell Harley Quinn 3D for $50.

So when Robert Venditti expresses the importance of Relic #1… at least this way everyone who wants a copy will get a copy. Though stores will have to make their first week's order of standard covers tomorrow – at the latest.

Good luck out there.

ADDENDUM:

This is one anonymous store's orders, and the percentage of the order that will be filled with 2D covers, as an example. But each store's experience has varied so much…

SUPERMAN #23.2 BRAINIAC 100% 9/11/2013
FLASH #23.1 GRODD 91% 9/4/2013
FLASH #23.2 REVERSE FLASH 83% 9/11/2013
GREEN ARROW #23.1 COUNT VERTIGO 80% 9/4/2013
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #23.1 VENTRILOQUIST 66% 9/4/2013
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #23.1 CREEPER 20% 9/4/2013
SUPERMAN #23.1 BIZARRO 100% 9/4/2013
ACTION COMICS #23.4 METALLO 90% 9/25/2013
SUPERMAN #23.4 PARASITE 100% 9/25/2013
SWAMP THING #23.1 ARCANE 50% 9/18/2013
WONDER WOMAN #23.2 FIRST BORN 80% 9/25/2013
ACTION COMICS #23.1 CYBORG SUPERMAN 100% 9/4/2013
TEEN TITANS #23.1 TRIGON 100% 9/11/2013
JUSTICE LEAGUE #23.3 DIAL E 70% 9/18/2013
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #23.2 ECLIPSO 20% 9/18/2013
WONDER WOMAN #23.1 CHEETAH 90% 9/18/2013
SUPERMAN #23.3 H'EL 100% 9/18/2013
AQUAMAN #23.1 BLACK MANTA 85% 9/11/2013
AQUAMAN #23.2 OCEAN MASTER 77% 9/25/2013
TEEN TITANS #23.2 DEATHSTROKE 83% 9/18/2013
GREEN LANTERN #23.4 SINESTRO 83% 9/25/2013
GREEN LANTERN #23.2 MONGUL 58% 9/11/2013
FLASH #23.3 ROGUES 92% 9/18/2013
GREEN LANTERN #23.3 BLACK HAND 58% 9/18/2013
ACTION COMICS #23.3 LEX LUTHOR 67% 9/18/2013
GREEN LANTERN #23.1 RELIC 57% 9/4/2013
ACTION COMICS #23.2 ZOD 67% 9/11/2013
BATMAN ROBIN #23.4 KILLER CROC 55% 9/25/2013
DETECTIVE COMICS #23.4 MAN BAT 60% 9/25/2013
BATMAN SUPERMAN #3.1 DOOMSDAY 96% 9/25/2013
BATMAN #23.3 PENGUIN 84% 9/18/2013
BATMAN #23.2 RIDDLER 100% 9/11/2013
BATMAN ROBIN #23.2 COURT OF OWLS 50% 9/11/2013
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #23.2 MR FREEZE 50% 9/11/2013
BATMAN ROBIN #23.1 TWO FACE 50% 9/4/2013
DETECTIVE COMICS #23.1 POISON IVY 55% 9/4/2013
JUSTICE LEAGUE #23.2 LOBO 45% 9/11/2013
EARTH 2 #15.1 DESAAD 80% 9/4/2013
EARTH 2 #15.2 SOLOMON GRUNDY 80% 9/11/2013
BATMAN ROBIN #23.3 RAS AL GHUL 50% 9/18/2013
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #23.3 CLAYFACE 50% 9/18/2013
DETECTIVE COMICS #23.3 SCARECROW 55% 9/18/2013
JUSTICE LEAGUE #23.1 DARKSEID 76% 9/4/2013
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7.1 DEADSHOT 25% 9/4/2013
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7.2 KILLER FROST 25% 9/11/2013
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7.3 SHADOW THIEF 25% 9/18/2013
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7.4 BLACK ADAM 50% 9/25/2013
JUSTICE LEAGUE #23.4 SECRET SOCIETY 38% 9/25/2013
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #23.4 JOKERS DAUGHTER 36% 9/25/2013
BATMAN #23.4 BANE 97% 9/25/2013
BATMAN #23.1 JOKER 82% 9/4/2013
DETECTIVE COMICS #23.2 HARLEY QUINN 31% 9/11/2013

They haven't done too badly, some have only received 7% of certain orders made.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!